


Christmas at the Moonlighter

by the_problem_with_stardust



Series: The Moonlighter [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Sterek, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Flirting, Bartender Stiles Stilinski, First Meetings, Jewish Stiles Stilinski, M/M, but they're trying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-17 00:17:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16964187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_problem_with_stardust/pseuds/the_problem_with_stardust
Summary: They never did anything for Christmas. Well, nothing traditional anyway. It was too hard to have that many reminders of what they’d lost. Last year, they’d made pizzas and watched horror movies. The year before they ate fast food in the Camaro, watching the rain fall over the ocean.





	Christmas at the Moonlighter

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 12 days of Sterek!

Laura kicked off her boots, shoving the door closed with a grease-stained hand.

“I got us Christmas plans!” she called, apropos of nothing.

They never did anything for Christmas. Well, nothing traditional anyway. It was too hard to have that many reminders of what they’d lost. Last year, they’d made pizzas and watched horror movies. The year before they ate fast food in the Camaro, watching the rain fall over the ocean.

He watched her make her way through the apartment, grabbing a water bottle on the way to washing her hands. She never could get the grease out from under her nails. Just like their dad.

“So Boyd, you know Boyd?” she continued, dropping next to him on the sofa.

He nodded.

“Well, he and a couple friends go to a bar that’s open for the day. The Moonlighter? Down on Main? The owner’s Jewish so he started a sort of alternate holiday?” she reached for where her laptop was perched on the tv stand. “Anyone who doesn’t have anywhere to go can drop by, eat food, hang out.”

“I thought Boyd’s family lived in town?”

Laura shrugged. “I know he and Isaac are friends with the owner. And I’m pretty sure his grandparents help with the cooking.”

If they were the ones who taught Boyd to cook, then Derek was definitely in. “Sounds like fun, Lo,” he said. “As long as I’m not intruding.”

She rolled her eyes. “The guys love you. Maybe even more than me. You’re always welcome.”

“If you say so.” Derek tried to keep the dubious note out of his voice. He knew for a fact that Boyd and Isaac adored Laura, as a friend and not just a boss. It was hard not to feel out of place in that dynamic.

But Laura knew him well enough to read his mind. “If you’d rather stay, that’s okay Derek. We don’t have to go.”

When he started to protest, she just smiled. “There’s no RSVP so we don’t have to decide now.”

\---

Christmas day dawned cool and clear. Derek was up to watch the sun rise over the Preserve, drinking his coffee on the balcony. Laura stumbled out once the sun had cleared the horizon, dressed in her ridiculous reindeer pajamas and wrapped in at least three fluffy blankets. She clutched her coffee to her chest like some precious relic and maneuvered her swaddled bulk into the rocking chair.

“Make up your mind?” she asked, when her brain was finally online.

Derek nodded. “Let’s go see your friends.”

Laura grinned, untangling herself from the blankets.

The Moonlighter was only a short walk, so they took their time getting ready. Around noon, Laura waved her phone in between Derek’s face and his book.

Boyd’s name flashed across the screen, followed by _open for business, come get your beer._

He snorted. Yup, Boyd definitely knew his sister.

“Ready?” she asked, brushing her choppy hair out of her eyes.

He set down his book. “Ready.”

Walking was nice, the air just cool enough to have a nip to it. Derek stuck his hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket and focused on matching his strides to Laura’s bouncing steps. She chattered the whole way there, about the latest customer drama at her auto shop.

When they arrived, the bar was already busy. Laura quickly located her people, dragging Derek over to a booth tucked in the back. She threw herself down next to Isaac and gestured across the table.

“Alicia, this is my brother Derek. Derek, this is Boyd’s sister Alicia.”

Derek held out his hand to shake and the little girl took it solemnly.

“It’s okay,” Boyd assured her. “Derek’s shy around new people too.”

She shot him a quick smile and ducked her head, returning to the picture she had been coloring.

Derek slid into the booth opposite the Boyds, crowding Laura into Isaac’s space. He cast around for conversation topics but was saved by the appearance of a waiter balancing three drinks.

“I’ve got a pilsner, an IPA, and a root beer,” he said, sliding the drinks into place and giving Alicia a mischievous wink that she answered with a grin. “What can I get for you folks?”

When the waiter turned to face Derek and Laura, he fumbled his notepad and dropped his pen.

 _“Smooth_ ,” Isaac coughed.

The waiter glared at him, but the effect was ruined by the pink staining his cheeks.

“Right,” Laura glanced at the drink menu. “I’ll have a stout.”

“Oatmeal, Irish dry, American?” the waiter asked.

She sighed. “Whichever one you’d recommend.”

He made a face. “I’d say oatmeal, but then again I’m more of a Mai Tai guy.”

Alicia and Isaac snickered at the rhyme.

“Then you and Derek should get along great.” Laura tapped at the drink menu. “But I’ll stick with my beer. Oatmeal, please.”

“And for you?”

“A strawberry daquiri, please.” Derek gathered up his and Laura’s drink menus. 

Boyd cleared his throat and the waiter jumped, dropping his pen again.

“Yeah. Okay. Those will be right out,” he said, before running for the bar.

Derek watched him go with a frown. “That was weird, right?”

“You know,” Laura took a sip of Isaac’s beer, ignoring his squawk of protest, “if you actually left the house once in awhile maybe you’d be able to figure these things out yourself.”

It was an old argument, going all the way back to when they were struggling to fit into a world where they were the last of the Hales. Derek had accepted a translation job at a university, one where he could get the materials online or shipped to him and then send his work in electronically. She still hated the idea of him sitting alone all day, hiding from the world.

“Hey guys!” A smiling man with floppy brown hair set their drinks on the table.

Isaac intercepted Laura’s beer, taking a long drink before smirking and handing it back. Laura just rolled her eyes.

“Hi Scott, how’s it going?” Boyd asked, expression prim as his two best friends tussled like children next to Derek.

Scott somehow managed to smile even wider. “It’s going real good, buddy. How’re you liking school Alicia?”

She shrugged setting aside a colored pencil. “Where’d Stiles go?”

Scott shared a look with Isaac, who burst out laughing.

“Stiles is…” He stopped, clearly debating whether or not to continue, then sighed. “He’s in the ice box.”

For some reason, that set Isaac off again. Boyd tried to maintain a straight face, failing epically, shoulders shaking. 

“In his defense,” Scott said, over the sound of the other two laughing, “He’s really good at flirting unless he means it.”

Laura snorted, getting the joke. And god, Derek hoped Stiles wasn’t trying to flirt with Laura. Though her face wasn’t doing it’s ‘ew boys’ expression, so maybe not? But Stiles already knew Boyd and Isaac so that just left one person. Him.

“Really?” he asked. “Me?”

Scott shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants.” He made a face. “Or maybe not heart, but you get my drift.”

“Can I talk to him?” Derek looked over his shoulder, as if Stiles was going to come popping out from behind the bar.

Laura patted his arm. “Hell yeah, baby bro. All grown up and chasing after boys.”

Scott cocked his head to the side, looking uncertain. “As long as you aren’t going to like, beat him up or something?” His eyes flicked to Isaac, who shook his head and smiled.

Taking that as some sort of confirmation, Scott nodded. “He’s in the storage room behind the kitchen. Doing ‘inventory.’”

The ‘ice box’ turned out to be a walk-in refrigerator. Stiles was moving cases of beer around, goosebumps covering his exposed arms.

“It’s my damn pub, I can hide in here as long as I-” he broke off. “Sorry, thought you were Scotty. Or my sister.”

Derek stood awkwardly in the door, watching Stiles shiver. After a moment, he stepped inside the refrigerator and slipped out of his leather jacket. He draped it over Stiles’ shoulders, then stepped away.

“I’m not very good at flirting,” he said, finally. “But if you wanted to try again, I’d be willing to do my share.”

“Wait.” Stiles tugged the jacket more tightly around his shoulders. “Are you saying you’d flirt back?”

Reaching for the door, Derek shrugged. “As long as I don’t have to sit in a refrigerator for all of it.”

“It’s a beer cave.” Stiles pouted a little and Derek’s heart squirmed uncomfortably. He’d forgotten how awkward and embarrassing crushing on someone could be.

But looking at Stiles, wrapped up in his jacket, Derek didn’t think he’d mind.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Rebloggable edit and link coming soon!
> 
> EDIT: [Here it is!](https://theproblemwithstardust.tumblr.com/post/181286610857/12daysofsterek-author-theproblemwithstardust)


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